The “Dungeons and Dragons” (D&D) co-creator and legengary gaming pioneer E. (Ernest) Gary Gygax has died at the age of 69 from complications arising from past multiple strokes.
A gamer all his life, Gygax started out like most kids playing strategy games such as chess and the card game pinochle, as well as others. His love for games found a different outlet in the late 1950’s with miniature war games like “Gettysburg.” His fascination grew to the point where gaming for him became an art form and then he found and fell in love with science fiction. Thus was born his lifelong quest to develop some of the best genre-related gaming in the industry.
In 1966, along with partners Bill Speer and Scott Duncan, he founded the IFW ( International Federation of Wargamers), an organization that served as an umbrella for various wargaming clubs around the country. This grew into publishing its own magazine on gaming, one of the first of its kind.
Gygax helped to organize the first Gen CON gaming convention 41 years ago out of his basement. It is now one of the largest CONs in the world hosting events all over the globe. His skills as an organizer and game developer continued to grow until one day in the early 1970’s he and Dave Arneson created a tabletop fantasy role-playing game called “Dungeons and Dragons” (D&D), and the rest, as they say, is history. A variation of one of Gygax’s previous games called “Chainmail” and the sparsing together all that he knew about older war games, D&D became the fastest growing and selling RPG of its time, and it also sparked a ton of controversy from various religious groups in America, making the game even more appealing to its demographic of young, independent-minded gamers.
It is safe to say that E. Gary Gygax literally changed the face of the gaming world with D&D, and at a time when board RPG’s were just finding their place in the computer-generated universe, D&D was the perfect fit and acted as the gaming world’s Magellen and Christopher Columbus — opening up vast new worlds and opportunities for the fast growing gaming industry and their marriage to the virtual world of computing.
Even to this day D&D is still the best-known role-playing game, with well over 30 million people having played the game and more than $1+ billion (USD) in games, books and equipment sales worldwide.
Sad day. His game help my gain some live long friends. He will be greatly missed. I think I’ll dig out my old books and adventures and run Darcy though a short one in his honor.
Tim
RIP. His creations brought me much joy in my teenage years.
Mr. Gygax will will be critically missed.
I have been playing RPG’s since I was 10 years old. 24 years later, I am still using my imagination. Exploring those pen and paper worlds taught me how to “think outside the box” when solving those dungeon puzzles. It is a sad day to lose an Icon of gaming. My condolenceses to the Gygax family.
My weekly gaming group has lost many friends over the years, and this week when we drink to them, we will add another name to our list.
He failed his final save vs death, and the party will not be the same without him. We celebrate his initiative (+8) and his wisdom (+10) and we know that he is creating the next great world for all of us when we reach his gaming table again.
I started DMing in 1975 and play/DM once a week to this day. His input into the world of D&D will be missed. The world of RPG’s and MMORPG’s that have develeoped over the years are a tribute to this one man. His game ideas have bridged cultural and national borders. RIP Mr. Gygax you deserve a rest.. for you conquered a world..
The vision one sees in the beginning doesn’t always reveal the full scope until after the goal is achieved.
I believe this with Mr. Gygax and the creation of Dungeons and Dragons.
When he sat down to finally draw up the rules for the first time and seriously played with the idea of publishing them he never could have known how many people or lives he would touch.
Many of the friends I have meant and even my wife have became reality do to the gygax “Unreality”.
I state that it wasn’t “just a game”. It was a tool. A very wide grasping tool that was just fun to use. After all it makes friends, it teaches reading, it teaches math, it teaches writing, problem solving, acting, sharing, cooperation, communication and more! It thought me cartography and computer skills I most likely would have never learned.
The game was and still is a masterpiece. Gary was a teacher to so many and a friend to more then he knew.
I want to thank you Gary and your family for all the great times and experiences that came with playing the best game on earth.